Life with a ‘servant-in-chief’

Category: Comments Published on Saturday, 12 November 2011 06:00 Written by Danladi Ndayebo Hits: 1302

Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Governor of the ‘Power State’ means many things to many people. I do not see a saint but I can attest that the Talban Minna does not dine with the devil either. When a few weeks ago I remembered he would turn 56 today, I went nostalgic. I recall I was nonplussed when he called me on June 2, 2011 to inform that he had appointed me to serve as his Chief Press Secretary. Without prior notice, he asked me to head for the Executive Chamber of the Government House where arrangements had been concluded to swear me into office. That was the beginning of the second journey with the state Chief Executive who prefers to be called the Chief Servant of his people.

I joined the team in November 2008 as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity in the wake of a political rivalry between the Governor and a section of the political elites in the state. My assignment was simple-to establish a robust relationship between the state government and media outfits across the country. I did my best.

Working with the Chief Servant in the last three years has been rewarding. His fast pace has helped me reassess myself. Aliyu has proved to be an intellectual bureaucrat with a bias for excellence and a phobia for failure. He wants today’s assignment done as if one started it months ago.

From his inauguration on May 29th 2007, Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu showed a keen desire to make an impression on the state as a prudent, conscientious and responsive leader. As a good manager of resources, he has placed a very high premium on accountability and judicious application of funds. And as an administrator, the Chief Servant has displayed an unparalleled level of competence, sensitivity and responsiveness that have never before been experienced in the state.

Governor Babangida Aliyu is an accomplished bureaucrat who understands the rules of public order. He went into the governorship contest with a clear understanding of the plights of the people and what was needed to reverse the prevalence of poverty and underdevelopment ravaging the state. He would not pander to the wishes and desires of a few who would want to take undue advantage of their closeness to power.

He provided an insight into how he intended to govern the state when he assumed the official title of “Chief Servant” instead of the more flamboyant title of “His Excellency.” His reasons were both inspiring and logical. His words then, “Chief Servant to me best describes the job of an elected leader, who derives his powers exclusively from the mandate of the electorate….leadership should be and reflect humility and ability to render services to the people in the most dignified and accountable manner.”

The Chief Servant has in the last four and a half years left development imprints that are difficult to ignore. His chosen areas of priority, namely education, health, agriculture, infrastructural development and social security have seen progressive achievements. His accomplishments have been attributed largely to prudent and judicious application of funds, visionary planning and consistency in policy implementation.

As a politician, Governor Aliyu has introduced initiatives that are novel in the history of political leadership in Nigeria. An instant revelation is the Ward Development Projects which ensure that development reaches the grassroots.

The Ward Development Projects which ensures that each of the 274 wards in the state receives N1m monthly is a huge success story. Under the initiative, each ward takes full responsibility for proposing to the state government development projects that the ward consultative forum feels deserves priority attention. The implementation of projects is carried out by the people, who participate fully at all levels.

The Jama’a Forum, a meet-the-people-tour, initiated and embarked upon by Governor Aliyu to meet and interact with the people one-on-one in their communities and villages has not only gained significant support but has served as instrument through which the governor relates directly with the common man. The tour is aimed at getting to know the people, their areas of need and how to address their problems as well as giving the people an opportunity to interact freely with their governor on issues bordering them.

After learning the ropes in Abuja where he rose to become Permanent Secretary in the federal civil service, I have no doubt that Dr Mu’azu Aliyu would return to the nation’s capital to teach his teachers.

Ndayebo is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State